For about 74 days, 2021 had not treated the Loyola Greyhounds very well.
Their season started Sunday a.m., Valentine’s Day in the Ridley Athletic Complex parking lot. That, in and of itself, wasn’t wrong; theoretically they should’ve been hosting Virginia. Instead, they were boarding two busses to Richmond to take on the Spiders, a traditional preseason scrimmage converted into a game for a host of COVID-related reasons.
Typically, Charley Toomey — like almost every DI coach — preferred to practice at the venue they’re visiting, stay the night before a game in a hotel in the host city, play the game and then drive home. This year, the Greyhounds had planned to spend zero nights in a hotel prior to the Patriot League Tournament, and in order to better physically distance, travel in two busses to road games.